Nato 'not tracking former regime leaders'

2011-09-06 13:43

Brussels – Nato is not tracking "fleeing former regime leaders" in Libya, an alliance spokesperson said on Tuesday, after a Libyan military convoy with Muammar Gaddafi rumoured aboard crossed into Niger.

"To be clear, our mission is to protect the civilian population in Libya, not to track and target thousands of fleeing former regime leaders, mercenaries, military commanders and internally displaced people," said Colonel Roland Lavoie, the Nato mission's military spokesperson.

A military source in Niger said earlier that an "exceptionally large and rare convoy" of several dozen vehicles entered the northern Niger city of Agadez late on Monday and was going towards the capital Niamey.

Nato, which has repeatedly denied targeting Gaddafi and other regime officials, did not confirm or deny whether it knew about the convoy.

"Nato continuously receives reports and inputs from various sources regarding weapons, vehicles and even convoys of vehicles moving throughout Libya," Lavoie said.

"We do not discuss the intelligence and surveillance information we collect but we do publicly announce the actions we take when we act on what we consider are threats to the civilian population," he said in a statement.

He added that Nato warplanes destroyed two large regime convoys that threatened civilians in the past two weeks.

The source in Niger also cited "persistent rumours that Gaddafi or one of his sons are travelling in the convoy."

Comments

slg - 2011-09-06 16:07

They should have targeted Gadhafi and his inner circle seeing as the commands to harm civilians were coming from them.

tommy 2 - 2011-09-06 19:43

Nato,have to wait for uncle sam,& its allies to do any thing......
Nato are puppets......
Dont worry mr gaddafi, will go to guerilla tactics & ..ck the ntc from outside or within the country.
Down with the rebel terrorists,
Long live gaddafi.......

slg - 2011-09-06 22:25

You're going to die with that kind of decision, Tommy 2, so is Tommy 1. Still time to change.

tommy 2 - 2011-09-06 22:44

@slg,
Hear i go attracting the kit kat again,have to go through the rif raf again.
I told you,stop making idle threats,
You internet gangster.
You pop tart.
What time does your shift end.
In fact i would like to dedicate a song to you slg.......
Its by the commodores.
"on the night shift".

tommy 2 - 2011-09-06 22:47

Do you really think everybody is like you , afraid of death.
LeT ME LEAVE YOU AND YOUR BUDDY ANTON WITH THIS.
"WHY FIGHT TO LIVE'
"When you living to Die"

tommy 2 - 2011-09-06 23:28

@ slg bY the way............
Who is tommy1.

slg - 2011-09-08 07:07

It's not a threat. It's going to be a fact. I'm concerned you seem not to care about yourself and your life enough to move out of harm's way.